One year on from the Lord Davies report - comments from Chris Parke, Talking Talent

One year on from the Lord Davies report - comments from Chris Parke, Talking Talent

“Almost one year on since the Lord Davies review into women on boards, and – it would seem – that some progress has been made. A report at the beginning of January highlighted there had been a & lsquo;record rise’ in the number of women on the boards of FTSE companies (12.5 percent - January 2011 to 14.9 percent in January 2012).

“But, according to an article in the FT, 89 percent of FTSE 350 companies still have no female representation on their boards – falling well short of the targets set out in the Lord Davies report.

“So, where next? When will the UK adopt the Scandinavian model – where women make up 40 percent of corporate boardrooms?

“UK companies need to take action now, and to progress women in business. Ensuring the talent pipeline will secure leadership potential. Clearly, change won't happen overnight, but it certainly won't happen without proactive measures being taken by companies to instigate change now.”